Living In Ruins Of A Palace Within My Dreams
by heathersinclair1
Summary: Severus catches Ashley Carter, a favorite sixth year Slytherin student of his, smoking cigarettes in the Shrieking Shack. Over the next two years, Severus trains Ashley to become his apprentice.
1. Chapter 1

_**I lit a cigarette inside the Shrieking Shack.**_

 _ **"Miss Carter...what are you doing?"**_

 _ **I panicked when I heard the familiar silken voice of my head of house.**_

 _ **Severus appeared seconds later in the doorway. "Smoking?"**_

 _ **I rolled my eyes.**_

 _ **Severus sighed. "Why, Miss Carter? You are one of my finest students. I am very disappointed in you. 150 points from Slytherin. Also, give me that."**_

 _ **Black eyes locked onto mine with disgust.**_

 _ **I reluctantly handed the cigarette over. "I'm sorry, sir."**_

 _ **Severus paused a moment, inhaling deeply and sighing from his lungs. "I accept your apology, Miss Carter, only because you are highly skilled."**_

 _ **He took the cigarette from me, gazing at the small burning embers. Severus sighed again. "I do not believe I have been too harsh."**_

 _ **"No, sir." I replied.**_

 _ **Severus brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled the smoke deeply into his lungs. He coughed deeply for a few moments and sighed the smoke from his lungs quickly.**_

 _ **The Potions Master peered at me intensely. "I understand you are interested in the apprentice position."**_

 _ **"Yes." I replied softly.**_

 _ **Severus inhaled loudly, the shrill sound of the smoke flooding his lungs once more. He coughed, sighing the smoke from his lungs. "I shall have to test your skills beforehand."**_

 _ **I nodded.**_

 _ **Severus coughed, clearing his lungs and stomped the cigarette out.**_

 _ **He looked at me and sighed heavily from his lungs. "Of course you will receive detention this evening with me."**_

 ** _I wasn't looking forward to that._**

 ** _Severus exhaled. "Perhaps we could practice your skills then, Miss Carter?"_**

 ** _I reluctantly nodded back to Severus, who in turn sighed. "I shall see you this evening, Miss Carter."_**

 ** _"Yes, sir."_**

 ** _Severus frowned at me, coughing slightly. "Good day to you, Miss Carter. Do not let me catch you smoking again."_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_At dinner that evening,_**

 ** _I felt a pair of black eyes watching me from the High Table._**

 ** _I looked up and saw Severus staring down at me._**

 ** _It felt creepy at first but then it made me feel shy._**

 _ **I finished my dinner and left the Great Hall for the potions classroom.**_

 _ **When I entered the room, Severus was not there yet.**_

 ** _I sat at a table and waited._**

 ** _Severus arrived soon after, his robes flowing behind him gracefully._**

 ** _Obsidian orbs pierced mine. "I am very disappointed in you, Miss Carter. As such, you will be marking parchment and cleaning cauldrons for the rest of the evening."_**

 ** _I nodded._**

 ** _I heard a deep sigh exit his lungs as Severus strode over to his desk. He divided the parchment into two stacks. "Come here, Miss Carter."_**

 ** _I carefully walked across the room to the front of his desk where he placed the parchment for me to grade._**

 ** _"I should have you mark all of these..." Severus said, an intense gaze on me._**

 ** _I looked at him in awe._**

 ** _"However, I do not have time for that. You have other studies besides my class and I have other things to tend to before I retire for_** _ **the evening. So I shall mark one stack and you the other."**_

 _ **"But 150 points, sir?" I asked boldly. "From your own house? It's not fair!"**_

 _ **"Shall I make it 250, Miss Carter?!" He shouted at me.**_

 _ **I shook my head.**_

 ** _Severus sighed. "Miss Carter, I expected much more from you. You are a model student and for you to disappoint me and your house mates as you have done today...is a disgrace and I will not have it."_**

 ** _I was silent under his black glare._**

 ** _"Now, get to work. Finish your detention and we shall see where you rank amongst the other students this week. That will depend on your apprenticeship with me." Severus told me._**

 ** _I took a chair across the desk from him. We worked in silence until the parchment vanished and they were all marked. Severus checked the parchment I marked. Nervously I watched him scrutinize the notes I wrote along the sides where the students made mistakes._**

 ** _"Very well, Miss Carter. Now you can start on those filthy cauldrons." Severus gave his approval although it wasn't completely praiseworthy. I bet he was just relieved he didn't have to mark them all himself._**

 ** _I walked over to the cauldrons. A few looked like they had been exploded by first years. I scrubbed them until they were spotless and the clock read midnight._**

 ** _"Sir, I'm finished." I said timidly._**

 ** _Severus looked up from his desk and gave me an abrupt nod. "You may go, Miss Carter."_**

 ** _I started for the door until his silky voice broke the air._**

 ** _"And Miss Carter..."_**

 ** _I looked back._**

 ** _"It is not a death sentence...spending time with me." Severus added, his eyes boring into me._**

 ** _I nodded and opened the door, leaving him._**

 ** _Severus breathed a sigh, returning to his work._**


End file.
